Chennai: Rejecting Opposition Leader MK Stalin's suggestion that the AIADMK vote against the BJP government by supporting the no-confidence motion being brought by YSRCP and TDP in Parliament, deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam on Monday said the Tamil Nadu government will wait till March 29 and decide on the next course of action to be adopted on the Cauvery water issue.
During a debate on the issue in Tamil Nadu Assembly, Stalin suggested that the AIADMK government show its opposition to the Centre's indecision on constitution of Cauvery Management Board (CMB) by supporting the no- confidence being brought by the TDP and YSRCP for failing on the promise of according Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh.
“Like the CM of our neighbouring state (Chandrababu Naidu), who is going ahead with determination to protect the state's (Andhra Pradesh) rights, the no-trust motion in Parliament should be supported with the same determina-tion,” Stalin said.
Replying to Stalin, Panneerselvam rejected the demand asking the Opposition party not to connect the Cauvery issue with the special category status for neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The deputy chief minister said the AIADMK was “fighting vigorously” in its pursuit to achieve constitution of CMB by “stalling the Parliament for more than 10 days.”
“This is the first time that Parliament has been stalled for 10 days on a state issue. The AIADMK is committed to putting pressure on the Centre to set up CMB through protests in Parliament. The Cauvery issue and no-confidence motion by TDP should not be compared. They (TDP) were in alliance (with BJP) for 4 years and suddenly they come out,” he said, suggesting that politics was behind the TDP move.
The AIADMK is under pressure to vote against the BJP Government in Lok Sabha, but the party has told the YSRCP, which approached it seeking support, that they will not be able to take its side. For the record, the AIADMK says it cannot support the no-confidence motion since it deals with specific issue of a neighbouring state.
“There is still time, we need to be patient and see. We will wait till March 29 and if there is no action, then we will decide…Together, all of us will take a good decision,” he said.
In his speech, Stalin said the AIADMK should vote against the Centre only to display its opposition. “Even if the AIADMK supported the motion, the central government would not fall and there was no scope for that,” he said.
